Open Tech Today - Top Stories

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Apparently, according to a story in Computerworld, Google joined the ODF Alliance on Saturday (4 days ago). The ODF Alliance quietly listed Google on its website as a member, with no press release or announcement, clearly by agreement with Google.

Google is saying even less. There is nothing on its website indicating its membership in the ODF Alliance. No press release, no announcement on its official blog. If you search Google News for "ODF Alliance" and Google, you get 0 search results.

This all begs the question ... why hasn't Google made any public statement about joining the ODF Alliance, which it apparently did 4 days ago?

Obviously this is news. Good news, though not completely unexpected given Google's acquisition of Writely, an online collaborative word processing program that supports ODF. If joining the ODF was news when the City of Bristol in the UK did (and it was), why has Google given this the silent treatment? Even when directly asked about it.

Well, a few explanations are possible ...

Maybe Google is waiting to jointly announce support for ODF by its new, online Google Spreadsheets?

Or, maybe Google has decided to make its announcement at an upcoming, high-profile event? [Though they must have known word would get out and they'd be behind the news]

Or maybe they don't want to treat joining another group as news? [But it is news, especially given the increasing importance of ODF and the major news its adoption by governments generated.]